At the CCSG meeting this weekend, representatives from across the Commonwealth Campuses discussed ideas for a unifying Honor Code that would set guidelines for ethics and the academic integrity of the student body.
The Council of Commonwealth Student Governments President Ben Clark said a draft of the Honor Code has been compiled and will continue to be discussed between CCSG, the University Park Undergraduate Association, the Graduate Student Association and the Faculty Senate.
“Not a lot of students know we are working on the Honor Code, and it’s something not a lot of students look into,” he said.
Clark said he is pleased with the progress that was made with the Honor Code along with the support from the council.
“This Honor Code that we really worked hard to come up with is something that will be passed on to other student governments at Penn State at some point,” Clark said. “This is not finished, though. We will have conversations about it, and I think this alone is huge.”
During breakout sessions, representatives discussed ideas and plans such as Visit Your Legislator Day, where campuses send hand-written letters to their legislators introducing themselves, as well as transportation from other campuses to University Park for Bryce Jordan Center events.
On Friday evening, CCSG hosted Penn State Trustee Dr. Paul Suhey and Student Trustee Peter Khoury as guest speakers.
The representatives asked the trustees questions such as how to help move the university forward and how to go about spreading positive achievements happening within the university.
“We are trying hard to move forward, and we are getting a lot of flack for it, too,” Suhey said. “We have so many things that are good that go on at the university every week, but I don’t think people are listening yet. We need to understand where we’ve come from but we have to move on.”
Khoury said the students are playing a major role in helping the university more than ever.
“The students that rally together behind each other help this university move forward,” Khoury said. “The students are really helping the community get through this and are helping shape the future.”
